Ain't We A Pair?
by IrishFrenchy
Summary: It was just supposed to be a night out, nothing bad was ever supposed to happen. Hell, they did this every year. But this time, she didn't show up. Of couse, Harvey would freak out, anyone would. The anxiety that hit him was almost too much to ignore, he had to go make sure she was okay. He knew she had spunk but what he finds when he gets to her place truly surprises him. Jarvey


Harvey knew something was wrong. It had been an hour, maybe even longer. She was never late, not in the twenty years they'd been doing this. He left the bar the night before her birthday, walking to his car in the dark. He unlocked the door and got in, starting the engine and took pride in how it roared to life just because he kept it tuned just right. He slipped on his seatbelt and his hand came to rest on the passenger headrest, his body turning to he could see as he backed out of his space.

The tires screeched a little when he drove away, off in the direction of her house. Something was wrong, he just knew it. Jessica Pearson was the most on-time person he'd ever known. She was _never _late to anything. That's where they differed. He was the most uncaring man she'd ever known when it came to managing time and dates. Hell, he would be late to his own funeral.

He dialed her number on his Bluetooth as he drove to her place, hoping that she would answer and put his mind at ease. There was no answer though, not the first time, not the second time, no, not even the third time. A new wave of anxiety washed over him and he gnawed at his lip. Another rule had just been broken, for she always answered her phone. He always joked about it, saying she's answer even if she were in the middle of a shag.

He let out a long sigh and rounded the corner or King Street, his eyes darting to the little lonely house on the corner. One light was on and he felt panic rise in his chest again. The door was open. No cars were outside, but then again, that wasn't anything new because she had her own driver. No one was walking around, it was too late out. His phone read a quarter past ten. He pulled up to the curb, turning off the car and tossing his keys into his pocket and getting out, all in one fluid motion.

He walked up the steps to her house, another wave of panic hitting him when he noticed the lights inside were off. No light was spilling out onto the porch. He hopped up the steps and looked inside. He tried to prepare himself for some robber but just the image of Jessica being hurt got to him. He shook his head and swallowed hard. He heard a banging noise and it made him jump a little. He was sure he blanched when he heard her yell something. To his own dismay, he couldn't quite make out what she was saying. Without a second thought he went into the house, knuckles white and ready to give a good punch. He was never good with calling the police first, he was more of the 'action' type when someone he loved or cared about was in mortal trouble. He was ready to beat the living the shit out of whoever had touched her.

He followed the loud banging noises to the stairs. A man was coming down, panicked looking. He was wearing dark sweatpants and a hoodie, no mask. Harvey grabbed him and shoved him up against the wall, nearly knocking the wind out of him. "What's going on?" the attorney demanded, his teeth clenched. The kid didn't answer at first and Harvey pulled him away from the wall, slamming him hard against it again. "Answer me, you little shit." He could hear some kind ruckus going on upstairs and he groaned in frustration. He pulled back and clocked the kid, knocking him out on impact.

He left the kid at the end of the stairs and he hurried up them, taking two at a time. "Jessica! Jess!" He hollered for her just as he reached the top of the staircase. He ran to the end of the hallway, his hands slamming against a door to break his stride. "Jessica?" He went to the door he heard noise coming from and he pushed it open, panic etched into his handsome features. He came charging into the room, fists at the ready. He stopped though, when he saw Jessica was beating the shit out of the other assailant.

He just laughed a little, his hands falling. She gave him a glance his way and she dropped her lamp, satisfied that she'd done quite the number on the Caucasian man lying on the floor. His face was a bloodied pulp.

"Sorry I was late," she told him, humor in her tone. She groaned in an achy way and stood up. He just shook his head as he took in her image. Her hair was wild looking, curly and undone. She's must have just gotten out of the shower and been about to change when those two dumbasses decided to have themselves a break-in. She was still wearing her robe. Truth be told, more of her legs were showing than his poor heart could handle. It made his mouth go dry and his heart pick up speed. Harvey loosened his tie, undoing the top button and nodding his head. "Well, I see you didn't even need my help. I was wondering why that douche was on his way out, turns out he was running away from you. Wow. I have to admit, it felt good knocking him out cold."

Jessica sat down on the edge of her bed, a huge sigh leaving her lips as she did so. "Shit," she mumbled. He chuckled at the curse and pulled out his phone to dial the police. He didn't want her to have to deal with all that crap. He gave them her address and a loose story of what had happened. When he hung up, he found her eyes were already on him. It was a long moment before either of them spoke. "Thanks," she told him, her voice soft. He noticed how the tired lines around her eyes were beginning to show.

It was then that he realized she wasn't wearing any makeup. "Wow," he said aloud, his eyes tracing over her features and taking in her natural beauty. He felt like someone had punched him in the gut, she was the most beautiful thing he'd ever laid eyes on. "What?" she asked him, confusion meeting her expression and her eyes narrowing. He came back to the here and now, a slight blush touching his cheeks. He stuttered a little and shook his head. "No-nothing, sorry." He looked to the floor just as a little laugh left her lips.

"Why were you thanking me, anyway?" he asked, his hands slipping into his trouser pockets. She just looked at him as if he had two heads, her hands crossing over her chest. "Um, gee, I don't know," she began, her tone sassy. "Maybe I was thanking you for _saving _me." He came over to take a seat at her side, his eyes meeting hers as he spoke. "Oh. Well… For the record, you certainly didn't need any saving. You were handling just fine on your own." She looked up at him, her eyes lingering longer than usual. "Thanks. Still though, what if I wasn't okay? What if…" He cut her sentence off when he took her hand in his. "It's alright," he began. "You're okay. Nothing that bad happened. I'm here now. I came because I just had a bad feeling about everything. Something was off, you were so late and you didn't answer your cell at all." She smiled a little as his thumb began to caress her knuckles. _He was trying to calm her._ He does have a heart, and hell, with the look on his face when he'd come into the room, she'd have thought he would have killed anyone.

He cared, no matter how hard he tried to convince her that he didn't, the son of a bitch cared. He had stuck by her all these years. Sure he had floated around to a few firms, but he's always managed to find his way back to her. He would _always_ find his way back to her. That's how their relationship worked, so push and pull but yet, they were closer than family in some ways. He would do anything for her. He had been willing to open a new firm with her. Wasn't that proof enough? Where she went, he was bound to follow. 'You go, I go.'

They'd been friends for over twenty-five years. She was his mentor and his closest friend. He owed his very career to her. She'd dragged him out of the dregs of the mail room and paid for him to go to college, even took him under her wing.

Maybe, just maybe, she'd even grown to feel something stronger than brotherly love for him over the years. Who could say? Some days she wanted to strangle him, others she wanted to drag him to bed. He was such just that way. He was arrogant, sarcastic, mean, a smartass. But then again, he could be sweet, sexy, very much a gentleman, even caring to a fault. She trusted him with her life. It was his honesty that she loved the most. He was frank with her when it counted the most. He was the most human person she'd ever known and when he denied it, it only seemed to show clearer than ever.

She sighed a little and tried to calm herself. Her damn house had just been broken into and she'd gone a-wall on the guys who tried to hurt her. That didn't happen every day…

It had been a week and a half since Hardman had left, and apparently, life wasn't ready to stop hitting her with curve balls. She just needed a damn break. "I appreciate it," Jessica said with a nod. "You're like my knight in shining armor, even if I didn't need it." Their eyes met and something passed through his expression, but it was gone so fast she questioned if she'd even seen it in the first place. She felt a little at a loss for words but she collected herself and let a smirk touch her lips. "You know something, Harvey? I really really need a drink." They both laughed and he let her hand go, his fingers reaching up so he could rake them through his hair. A moment passed where they just kept to their own thoughts, but his chuckle brought her back to the present time.

He looked down at her as he bit back some laughter. "What?" she dared to ask him, her lips curling into a little smile. He just shook his head. "Well, I do think I will never be able to look at you the same. You definitely just hit Tina Turner status when you were beating the crap out of that kid." They both looked down at the kid on the floor. He was out cold and wasn't going anywhere soon. Her eyebrows furrowed. "Tina Turner? Like when she was in Beyond Thunderdome?" A little laugh escaped her lips and she shook her head. "I do _not_ look like Aunty Entity. No way. Not even I am that good looking."

Harvey turned his head and just looked at her. "I beg to differ," he jousted. "You, well, nevermind." She quirked a brow at him, silently daring him to finish that thought. He chuckled. "You've always had spunk, Jess. Never doubted you could lay it on someone if they caught you at the wrong place, or the wrong time. Might sound weird but hey, you looked good beating the living daylights out of the schmuck on the floor." She just pursed her lips and watched him for a long moment. He grinned and it made her roll her eyes.

It was quiet for a long moment before Jessica turned back to her best attorney, her closer, her mentee, her pitbull. His eyes were on a painting on the faraway wall. She smiled and said, "Well, ain't we a pair, raggedy man?" He just smiled _that _smile, the one where his amazing teeth show a little and the skin around his eyes crinkles in a way she can't help but find totally endearing. It gave her heart a skip and she smiled back, a blush touching her cheeks.

"Well," Jessica began and she stood up. His eyes trailed the hem of her robe as it rode up a little. He forced himself to look away and he just swallowed hard. She started for her bathroom, hopping over the kid on the carpet. "Make sure he doesn't wake up," she told him. "I should probably throw some clothes on. I'll be right back." She grabbed a few things and disappeared into her bathroom.

He just sat there, his mind in utter turmoil, a stupid smile on his face. "You thought you lost her, you dumbass," he told himself gently. "That's why you're being this way." He shook his head a little and closed his eyes, trying to just focus on his breathing.

When he opened his eyes again, he looked around her room. Not a thing was out of place, that is, if you didn't count her broken and bloodied lamp. Her room was the only place in her house he'd never roamed into. Many a night he'd spent in her guest room but never, never once had he been in her room. He looked around, taking in her small dresser, nice closet, and queen sized bed. It was all perfect, really. She had a dark navy blue comforter on the bed and it offset her gray and white walls perfectly.

He stood up and looked over the picture frames that she had on her dresser. There were pictures of her family. None with her ex-husband, though. Sure enough, there was even one with Harvey. He smiled at the simple fact that she _wanted _a picture of him in the most intimate of places, her bedroom. He picked up the little frame to get a closer look at the picture. He had his arm around her and was smiling his head off. She was just giving him her best glare but he saw behind it, he saw the amusement and the humor there. With a little laugh, he gently put the picture frame back down.

He turned around to find Jessica was leaning against the door to her room, watching him with her arms crossed. "I, um," he began. "You…" He just shook his head to stop the stammering. She walked over to him, a smile playing on her lips. "What? Cat got your tongue? Easy tiger, I know which picture you were looking at." He laughed a little and reached up to rub his cheek. He had to admit, she looked damn good for having just thrown the nearest thing she could find on. She was in a pair of designer jeans and a sweater. "You… You, um," he started and nodded his head. "You look good." She just looked at him for a minute and then shook his head. "Seriously? Are you having a stroke? I've never known you to forget how to speak." He blushed, a deep crimson reaching up to color his stubbly cheeks. "Or blush," she added as an afterthought.

Just then they could hear sirens and they knew the police were close. They both exchange a glance and then made for the stairs. She slipped on some shoes as she went, hurrying to keep up the man who was halfway down the stairs already. _Really, how did he move so fast?_

It was a long while before they were alone, again. The police took statements, the EMT's came. They insisted on checking her out, even though she told them she'd never even gotten hit. An hour seemed to pass, then two. It was almost midnight when the last police officer left her home, closing the door behind him.

Harvey turned to look over at her, the bags under his eyes a little bit more prominent than they had been earlier. He looked exhausted and he slowly walked over to her. She sighed and just looked up at him. "Are you okay to sleep here tonight?" he asked, worry in his voice. "If I were you, I probably wouldn't get any shut eye. It's a Friday, we have no work tomorrow. I can take the couch or something, if you want. You can come to my place if that's want to, too." She just studied his face for a moment and what she found gave her a start. Love. Just love. Nothing more, nothing less. He was worried sick about her and he was exhausted to all get out, but beneath it all, she saw love.

"Jessica, are you okay?" he asked, his eyebrows drawing together. He reached out for her and placed a hand on her arm. "Yeah, no, I'm fine," she said but not very convincingly. He let out a long sigh and he let her go, taking a seat on her couch. "I suppose I'll be spending the night here then?" She ran a hand through her hair, her chest felt like it was about to explode. She did her best not to jump him right then and there. He sat on the couch, totally oblivious to her inner conflict. "You don't need to, Harvey," she told him. "I'm fine by myself. I can take care of myself. No one is going to break in, again." She almost rolled her eyes as she said the last bit.

Her looked back up at her, defeat in his eyes. He didn't have the energy to argue with her, even if he knew she wasn't going to sleep. He always gave in to her, one way or another. He stood up and nodded. "Fine, okay. Sleep good." He turned and made for the door, but there was no bounce in his step, his hips swayed tiredly and he reached for the knob. "I know it's a bad time, but happy _almost_ birthday." He gave her a little smile and then he was gone.

She stood there for a moment, gnawing at her lip. Finally, she went to the door and opened it, quickly walking outside. He was just unlocking his car door. "Harvey, wait," she called. He turned around, confusion in his dark eyes. "Jess?" he asked, closing his car door instead of getting in. "What's wrong?" He started back in her direction, obviously concerned. "Nothing's wrong," she told him softly, her hands reaching out for his coat. "Wha-" He never got a chance to finish the question, for she pulled him to her and kissed him breathless. His stomach dropped, his heart stopped beating, his brain turned off. Jessica Pearson was kissing him. His breath caught as she parted her lips for him and he took the hint, starting to kiss her back.

She felt her heart skip a beat as he wrapped his arms around her shoulders, kissing her back slowly and passionately. He was such a damn good kisser, but then again, it didn't really surprise her. It made her knees weak, the way he held her. When they finally pulled back, he let his forehead touch hers. "What was that for?" he asked, breathless. She smiled gently, her hands smoothing out the lapels on his coat. "For saving me, I guess." A little chuckle left his lips and she pulled back to look at him. "Don't go home, I'm sorry. Why don't you stay the night?" He smiled a little and nodded. He knew damn well why she didn't want him to leave and it made his heart thrum like a metronome.

"Listen," he started. His lips hovered just over hers as he spoke. "I've had a thing for you for a long time, Jess. I don't want you to do something stupid, something you'll regret in the morning and have our entire friendship blown to bits. I don't want to ruin _this_." His sincerity took her by surprise and her eyes fluttered for a moment. "Harvey," she managed to say and she shook her head. "_This_, and by this I mean our friendship, it's lead up to this moment and I kissed you because I want you. I know I won't regret this in the morning, no matter what happens." She pulled back a little to give him a small smile, to look in his eyes, to see the shock on his face. "Now, get back in the damn house. You promised me some drinks and I've got a nice bottle of scotch just _begging_ to be polished off." As he watched her speak, he gnawed at his lip. "You're amazing," he said softly.

With a smile, he followed her and closed the door behind him. There was a finality in the click that followed and the darkness surrounded them. He could hear Jessica walk into the kitchen, turning a light on as she went.

Yes, Harvey Specter was a happy man. Yes, he had his problems and his enemies, but tonight, tonight there was one person on his mind. Jessica Pearson was an amazing woman. She was his boss, his closest and oldest friend, his mentor, and now, just maybe, she could be even more. As much as he had never wanted to admit, that was precisely what he desired. She was the one woman who made his blood boil and his heart race. He kept telling himself he wasn't in love but right now, at this very moment, he didn't bother to deny it. He walked after her as he took off his coat, smoothing out his gray vest as went. "I hope you're ready for a wild night," he teased, his eyes finding hers as he walked into the small kitchen. His old English dress shoes were loud against her tile floor. She grabbed two tumblers and laughed a little. "I should be saying that to you, Harv." He laughed a little and just shook his head. The easy banter with her would never get old…


End file.
